After Virat Kohli made himself unavailable for the ongoing five-match Test series against England, it created quite a stir, however, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah backed the batting maestro despite several rumours. During a media interaction at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Shah said if a promising player asks for a personal leave in 15 years then it's important to back them.
"If somebody is asking for a personal leave in 15 years then it is his right to ask for it. Virat is not that kind of a player that he would ask for a leave without any reason. We must back and trust our players," he said. But the BCCI secretary did not give any details if Kohli, like Rohit Sharma who was confirmed as the T20 captain for the upcoming World Cup, would be available for the showpiece event. "We will talk about Virat later," Shah said.
Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja made classical Test match hundreds while debutant Sarfaraz Khan announced his arrival on the big stage with a fluent half-century as India reached 326 for five at stumps on day one of the third Test.
Mohammed Shami is also among the players who are currently on a comeback trail after suffering injuries and Shah said information will be provided whenever the bowler is fit. "We will inform you when Shami gets fit," he said.
Meanwhile, India won the toss and elected to bat against England in the third Test of the five-match series on Thursday. The series is locked at 1-1 as England captain Ben Stokes is appearing in his 100th Test here. India handed debuts to middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, a heavy scorer in domestic cricket for Mumbai, and young wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel, who will replace KS Bharat in the playing eleven.
Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja made classical Test match hundreds while debutant Sarfaraz Khan announced his arrival on the big stage with a fluent half-century as India reached 326 for five at stumps on day one of the third Test.
